Use 鶹.com or the new 鶹 App to listen to 鶹 podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Episode details

Radio 4,2 mins

Bravery – the armour of light. Rev Dr Rob Marshall - 30/11/2019

Thought for the Day

Available for over a year

Good Morning. I’m sure, like many of you, it’s a with a heavy heart that I absorb more headlines this morning of another tragic terrorist attack in our country and, once again, in our capital city. For many people living and working in the immediate area around London Bridge yesterday’s events brought back painful memories of the previous attack on the bridge and nearby Borough Market just over two years ago. The emergency services were magnificent in their prompt response as events unfolded. But the most astonishing narrative to emerge from yesterday’s events was what London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the “breath-taking heroism of members of the public.” It really was remarkable - the way in which they sacrificially, and without any second thought for their own wellbeing, did what they had to do to defeat such a heinous threat. Nelson Mandela said that “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear.” Well, they certainly did. It is perhaps only now - that the brave women and men who did everything they could to limit the suffering on behalf of their fellow citizens - most need our ongoing support as the extent of their bravery is made known: their families and loved ones too of course. Tomorrow, for Christians, sees the start of the season of Advent. And if ever there was a time of the year when the battle between the forces of darkness and light come into sharp focus – it all starts tomorrow with the lighting of the first Advent candle in Cathedrals and churches across the country. Those candles will flicker with added poignancy. The wonderful Advent prayer from the 1662 Prayer Book – that we might “cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light” was reinterpreted for our own day by the actions of those brave members of the public and emergency services who responded as they did. Our protection is the light which the Gospel of John explains will never be extinguished. The main concern amongst people being interviewed last night as the shocked pre-Christmas crowds reflected on what had happened was obviously their safety. “We just want to feel safe” was the refrain amongst many. The catholic Sister Maria Boulding in her Advent classic work The Coming of God repeatedly reminds her readers that it is by sticking together – being equally brave and courageous in the face of darkness that it is overcome and eventually defeated.

Programme Website
More episodes